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2021-03-31-accounts

18[th] Epping Forest South Scout Group Annual General Meeting Saturday 18[th] September 2021

18[th] Epping Forest South Scout Group Group Awards Presentation & Annual General Meeting

Saturday 18[th] September 2021 AGENDA

  1. Welcome by the Group Chairman – Mr Paul Plane

  2. Apologies for Absence

  3. Approval of the minutes of the last AGM (circulated)

  4. Group reports with comments by the Group Scout Leader

  5. Financial report with comments by the Group Treasurer

  6. Appointments:

Election of Group Administrators:

Election of Group Executive Committee members:

Election of Social Committee:

18[th] Epping Forest South Scout Group Minutes of the previous Group AGM held on Wednesday 16[th] September 2020 via Zoom

1. Welcome by the Chairman

The Chairman welcomed the members of the Group and Parents. Due to current circumstances the AGM was not held in May. The Chairman was sorry to advise that, due to ill health, Brian Gillman has resigned from the position of GSL, his treatments are going well and Brian hopes to return to help with the group when he is feeling better. David Matson (Scout Leader) has taken over as GSL. Bevan Blair has taken over as Scout Leader.

2. Apologies for absence: Brian Gillman.

3. Approval of Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting (Circulated) The minutes were accepted and approved unanimously.

4. Group Reports (Circulated)

The GSL reported that he would be taking over the role of GSL but would not be able to cover leader shortfalls within the sections as the previous GSL had. Beavers need a dedicated Assistant Leader in order to reopen the section this term. There have been expressions of interest but nothing finalised yet. Beavers may need to change meeting nights to accommodate the new Covid arrangements. Our biggest challenge is to move back to face to face meetings. Zoom meetings worked very well last term and may be necessary again if Covid restrictions tighten. Our current options are for sections to meet in 2 groups of 15, concurrently, outside. Meetings indoor can be held in two groups (15) for 1 hour, one after the other, with a gap for cleaning and weekly alternate zoom meetings for 15 and face to face meeting for 15 indoors. The scout hall has been kitted out with appropriate equipment to accommodate this. Parents will need to be involved to ensure everyone’s safety by notifying the group of any Covid related ill health within their families. The group proposals and risk assessments for the above will be submitted to the District for approval with the hope of starting in the next few weeks. Offers of occasional help were received from Paula Fisher, Stephanie Thompson and Roz Kara. The GSL outlined the requirements for being a Leader and parent helper and stressed the importance of finding help for both Beavers and Scouts sections.

5. Financial Report (Circulated)

The Treasurer reported that we have had an average but healthy year financially. The Covid outbreak has had little impact. Our additional income once again came from Gift Aid, the Solar panels and the NCT group that hire the hall. The mini bus fund was topped up by £3000. Much of the expenditure was on camps and outings at the end of last year. The accounts have been independently reviewed and approved, the adoption was proposed by Gary Tong, seconded by Laura Joiner and was unanimously accepted by the meeting.

6. Appointment/Election of Group Administrators

7. Suggestions for Social Events

Ian Balboa volunteered to organise a Zoom Quiz night. A Zoom bingo night was suggested as well and a charity walk or bike ride. A social event will be organised for Brian Gillman when the Covid restrictions allow it. Any further ideas for social events should be taken to the Leaders or Social Committee for consideration.

8. Presentation of Awards

Achiever of the year awards were presented to: Scouts – Adam Joiner

Cubs – Eleanor Watkins and George Charnock

Beavers – To be announced at a later date.

The Chairman closed the meeting by echoing the GSL’s request to contact section leaders if parents can offer support for Beavers and noted that the Scouts would also need assistance. Thanks were given to all for attending in these difficult times.

18[th] Epping Forest South Scout Group REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES Year ended 31st March 2021

The Trustees present the report and accounts for the year ended 31st March 2021.

The 18[th] Epping Forest South Scout Group is a registered charity, number 303802.

Objectives and Activities

The Group is part of the Scout Association set up by Royal Charter in 1912. The objects of the Scout movement are the promotion and development of young people in achievement of their physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential as individuals as responsible citizens and members of their local, national and international communities. As such, the Group is managed and run under the terms of the Scout Association’s Policy, Organisation and Rules which provides appropriate guidance regarding safeguarding, risk management, volunteer management, complaints procedures and financial controls.

The Group provides a diverse range of educational, sporting and fun activities for its members that belong to the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts sections within the Group. In planning and carrying out these activities the Executive Committee kept in mind the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit at the regular trustee meetings.

Trustees

The charity is administered by the Executive Committee. A number of these are appointed ex officio i.e. The Group Chairman; The Group Scout Leader (GSL); The Group Secretary; The Group Treasurer; and the Beaver, Cub and Scout Leaders. The first four of these are the charity’s nominated trustees. The remaining Committee members are either appointed by the GSL or elected by the Group’s members at the Annual General Meeting.

The Executive Committee for this year was comprised of:

Paul Plane Chairman
Dave Matson Group Scout Leader
Steve Ladle Treasurer
Jan Nicholls Secretary
Bevan Blair Scout Leader
Ian Balboa Cub Leader
Gary Tong Beaver Leader
Alison Charnock Committee Member
Laura Joiner Committee Member
Fergus Leonce Committee Member
Alison Phillips Social Committee Member
Sarah Handworker Social Committee Member
Sharon Clare Social Committee Member

Group Executive Committee

The Group Executive Committee exists to support the Group Scout Leader in meeting the responsibilities of the Group and is responsible for:

The maintenance of Group property; The raising of funds and the administration of Group finance; The insurance of persons, property and equipment; Group public occasions; Assisting in the recruitment of leaders and other adult support; Appointing any sub committees that may be required;

Reserves Policy

The Group's policy on reserves is to hold sufficient resources to continue the charitable activities of the group should income and fundraising activities fall short. The Group Executive Committee considers that the group should hold a sum equivalent to 6 months running costs, circa £7,000.

It also looks at major items which will need eventual replacement the most significant of which is the Minibus. To this end the Group is building up separate reserves such that when the Minibus is due for replacement there would be sufficient funds available to purchase a replacement thus avoiding the need for large scale fund raising projects in the future.

The Group also has an endowment which was bequeathed to it a number of years ago. Under the rules of the bequest the Group is not allowed to use the Capital, but instead should use any interest from the endowment on providing benefits for the Group’s youth members. The Group achieves this by using these funds to support additional activities at a subsidised cost. These funds, whilst included in the Group’s accounts, are managed separately by a group of four trustees including one independent of the Group.

Risk Management

The Executive Committee also considers the key risks which may affect its continued existence. These are considered to be the following:

  1. Reduced income from fund raising. The Group is primarily reliant upon income from subscriptions and fundraising. The group does hold a reserve to ensure the continuity of activities should there be a major reduction in income. The Committee could raise the value of subscriptions to increase the income to the group on an ongoing basis, either temporarily or permanently.

  2. Reduction or loss of leaders. The group is totally reliant upon volunteers to run and administer the activities of the group. If there was a reduction in the number of leaders to an unacceptable level in a particular section or the group as a whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a section. In the worst case scenario the complete closure of the Group.

  3. Reduction or loss of members. The Group provides activities for all young people aged 6 to 14. If there was a reduction in membership in a particular section or the group as whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a section. In the worst case scenario the complete closure of the Group.

Internal Control

The group has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss, these include 2 signatories for all payments and comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered.

Public Benefit

The Group meets the Charity Commission's public benefit criteria under both the advancement of education and the advancement of citizenship or community development headings.

Summary of the main achievements of the year

Many activities have taken place over the past year. Please see the various section reports for details.

18[th] Epping Forest South Scout Group In Memoriam – Brian Gillman

Brian Gillman (1943-2021)

The following is the tribute to Brian given by David Matson at Brian’s Memorial Service on 31st July 2021.

When I first met Brian in 2005, he was already a legendary figure in Scouting in Epping Forest South. By then he had been a leader in the 18[th] EFS for over 25 years. I was lucky to work for him as his Scout Leader for the next 15 years. It was a privilege to take over from him as Group Scout Leader on his retirement due to ill health last year and I am honoured to be able to give this tribute to him.

Group Scout Leader for the 18[th] EFS was one of many roles for Brian in Scouting. At various times he was Scout Leader, Cub Leader and Beaver Leader (sometimes all 3 at once), and he supported all the Section Leaders including me by acting as required as their Assistant and mentor. He was also the Minibus Driver, the cook on Summer and Weekend Camps, the Chef for Christmas Fellowship dinner and above all Caretaker for the Scout Hall – handyman, electrician, plumber, painter & decorator.

In 1992 he became involved in the wider Epping Forest District. First as ADC Scouts and then from 1999 to 2009 he was District Commissioner . He formed a great partnership with Paul Plane as Chairman and Steve Ladle as Treasurer – the 18[th] EFS Hit Squad. During this time, he supported all the Groups and Leaders across the District. He became well respected for his friendly guidance and solid leadership. In 2007 he was awarded the Medal of Merit and in 2012 the Silver Acorn for distinguished service to Scouting.

One of the many activities he would organise was the annual St George’s Day Parade . For those of you who are not familiar with the Flag Parade, it is an operation that is similar in complexity to the D-Day Landings. Only it is repeated every year, in a different location with an entirely different set of flag bearers. Brian demonstrated great organisational skill to get 8 Scout Troops, 2 Sea Scout units, 11 Cub Packs and 10 Beaver Colonies in to the venue with their flags, then filling up all available space with parents. Then unlike the D-Day Landings the whole process was reversed an hour later. Brian took great pride in making sure each flag was returned to their rightful owner.

However it was not just the big events that Brian organised. A conversation took place last month at our Group Executive meeting. Great News, the NCT will restart their rental of the Scout Hall in September. Bad News, we now have to organise someone to clean the Scout Hall, set up the tables and chairs, open the Scout Hall when they arrive and close it after they leave – 3 times a week. For of course, it had been Brian who had been quietly doing this every time for the past ten years. The rent paid by the NCT enables us to buy equipment for the Group and subsidize activities.

Brian was Loved and Feared by Scouts in equal measure. I think he liked it that way. He had a mischievous sense of humour and loved teasing Scouts. His best way to start a meeting was when a Scout put his head round the kitchen door and said “Brian I have lost my woggle , can I have a new one”. £5 please was the usual starting point.

His ability to tell off Scouts was legendary. But he would always be fair. He would wait for you to make a mistake and then … One such occasion was the Roding Valley Hike . For those of you who don’t know it, the Roding Valley runs from Buckhurst Hill all the way into South Woodford. The footpath runs along one side. What could go wrong? Well it did go wrong 3 times. First Time , we followed the wrong side of the stream and ended up climbing over fences and locked gates (sorry Brian I don’t think I ever told you that). Second Time , we found the path completely flooded and Brian had to rescue us in the minibus.

On the Third Time , Brian stayed back at the Scout Hall in case there were any more problems. One Patrol ran ahead. I wasn’t bothered as there was one path. You couldn’t go wrong. Only, when we got to the end of the section by Ashton Playing Fields they were nowhere to be seen. We could see that they hadn’t gone on ahead and there weren’t any side paths they could have taken.

Now we take a fairly relaxed approach in Scouts. To lose one or two Scouts on a hike, that can be good for business. But to lose a whole patrol! The paperwork! So we phoned Brian. No he hadn’t seen them, but he had an idea. It turned out that his idea was correct. They had caught the bus . All 6 had got on the W14 bus from Ashton to South Woodford. One of them was so young he had never been on a bus before. They were happy; they got out of a mile of walking; they had something to boast about; they would get back to the Scout Hall before everybody else. And then they met Brian . And then they wished they had never been born. When we got back half an hour later, we could hear Brian telling them off before we had even turned the corner in Foxdene Close. And he was just getting started.

Brian also had great observational and awareness skills. Typically, he knew what you were going to do wrong before you even thought about it yourself. On one occasion, the Leaders were running an activity in the hall. Brian was in the kitchen, when he noticed something unusual. One Scout went to the toilets, and when he came back he whispered in the ear of another Scout, who then went to the toilet, came back and repeated the process. Brian went to investigate. He came back to the hall, stopped the activity and said in a loud voice “Who has been trying to light a fire in the toilets ?” Silence. He then looked at one Scout in particular. “Have you been lighting a fire in the toilets?” Not me Sir. “Then empty out your pockets”. Brian knew the boy had matches in his pocket. The boy jumped up, ran out the Scout Hall and I can honestly say that I have never seen him again. Now, before you begin thinking that Brian didn’t look after his Scouts, Brian followed up this incident by going round to see the boy’s mother and having a long conversation. I got the impression that it wasn’t the first time he had talked at length with her about her Scout, but it was the last.

There was this other side to Brian. He cared immensely about all the Scouts, Cubs and Beavers under his control. He had a large amount of patience and he would always take time to listen to what they and their parents had to say. Even when they told him that their “Little Darling was really an angel”. Brian had time for everyone and with Helen’s support they helped many young people to reach their full potential over the years. This also applied to Adults and Leaders. Brian was always someone that Adults and Leaders could turn to for help and advice. For many years, he was Leader Training Adviser for the District. Under his guidance, both the 18[th] EFS and the Epping Forest South District have flourished and remain in good shape today.

One of his most important legacies is the Scout Hall . It was Brian, with the assistance of Tony Cook, who bought the freehold of the old Endeavour Scout Hut in 1985. In 2006 it was Brian who negotiated with the builder who wanted to develop the area for residential housing. In exchange for the freehold, they built a new Scout Hall for us for free. This has left the 18[th] EFS in a solid financial position and set us up well for the future. It is therefore entirely appropriate that the Group Executive Committee decided to rename the Scout Hall as “ The Brian Gillman Endeavour Hut ”.

This will be one of the many ways that we will remember Brian and his contribution to Scouting. Thank you.

18[th] Epping Forest South Scout Group CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 2020/2021

Group Scout Leader

Many of you will remember that our former Group Scout Leader, Brian Gillman, resigned at the beginning of 2020 due to continuing health problems. Sadly these problems worsened and earlier this year he died. Brian had been a tower of strength, not just for the 18[th] , but the whole of the Epping Forest South District serving as the District Commissioner from 1999 to 2009. Brian has been involved at the 18th since 1979 and as GSL since 1989 and the growth of the Group is very much down to the work that he has done over these past 40 or so years. For much of this time since 1985 when my son joined Beavers, I have been helping at the 18[th] , latterly as Chairman and I have enjoyed working with Brian all that time and will miss him as a great friend.

Sad though this news is, scouting continues and as I mentioned in last year’s report our former Scout leader, David Matson has been appointed as GSL by the District Commissioner. Bevan Blair, the Assistant Scout leader, has replaced David as Scout Leader. Please give them the same support that you gave Brian and the Group will continue to thrive.

The Strangest Scouting Year – Part Two

As we all know, lockdown has affected all aspects of life and particularly scouting. Our excellent leaders have continued with online meetings for as long as we had to and as soon as face-to-face meetings were allowed they started them up straight away. Many scout groups in the country were unable/unwilling to do this, but the 18[th] has continued to provide activities for the children throughout the pandemic. Great thanks are due to our leaders for the efforts that they have made to ensure that the 18[th] continues to provide scouting activities for all the children.

Thanks

The scouting side of the Group has again moved from strength to strength over the past year in spite of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. All of our sections have had good years and all are thriving with no room for new children. All our leaders have continued to provide a wide range of activities for the children under particularly difficult circumstances, so I must thank the GSL David Matson, Beaver leaders Gary Tong and Andy Maguire, Cub leaders Ian Balboa and Rob Handworker and Scout leader Bevan Blair for all that they do.

The Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and the Executive Committee have continued to thrive. In the past year, the children have undertaken numerous activities, camps and visits. Details of these can be found in the section reports and on our website and Facebook pages and our Twitter feed. The Executive Committee, principally our Secretary, Jan Nicholls and Treasurer, Steve Ladle, continue to ensure the administrative and financial aspects of the Group are sound and can continue to support the activities that the Group provide for the children. My thanks to them and especially to all our section leaders and their assistants for all that they do for your children.

In my previous reports I have stated that our financial health is relatively sound and our accounts this year confirm that this continues to be the case. I have also pointed out that we continue to have running costs that must be funded from income, the main sources of which are subscriptions, camp fees and Gift Aid refunds from the taxman.

Supporting The Section Leaders

Like any Scout Group we always need help and support so I make no apology for repeating my appeal of previous years to everybody to think again about how you can contribute to the Group.

I am sure that if you put your mind to it, there are many more ways that you can assist the Group and help to ensure that the 18[th] EFS can continue to provide fabulous activities for the children of Wanstead and Woodford for many years to come.

Remember that volunteers are the lifeblood of the Scouting movement and that we always need more!

HOWEVER, THIS YEAR!!

The above is my annual repeat plea for help and assistance and last year we were struggling to support the Beaver section. This problem was solved when Andy Maguire volunteered as a Beaver leader and the Beaver section is now less of a problem. The greater need is now in the Scout section where Bevan is working on his own. As his report states, “…this is not sustainable. A troop of this size needs two full time trained and uniformed leaders. This is not just a volunteer, but also a safeguarding issue.”

As we stated last year in relation to the Beaver section, it is not legally safe to have only one adult looking after in excess of 20 children, even half this number requires more than one adult. In the past, Brian Gillman was able to help with every section, but this is no longer an option and our new GSL, David, cannot be expected to help in the same way. To keep the Scout section going we need a minimum of one person to be prepared to provide Bevan with regular support. Ideally, and this applies to all three sections, the more support we have, the better we are able to provide scouting activities. Consequently, I am appealing to all parents and carers to step forward and help. I know from my own experience of helping in the dim and distant past that it is a very rewarding experience and is core to the way in which Scouting in the UK operates. On top of this, many of you will enjoy helping. If you are prepared to help in any way and with any section, but especially the Scouts, please let us know and we will be happy to discuss and explain what it involves.

Finally

It just remains for me to acknowledge the efforts of everybody in the Group. As long as I have been Chairman of the 18[th] EFS, I have known that I could rely on our superb Leaders to continue providing a variety of fun, exciting and challenging activities for your children and on our very active Executive Committee to continue the essential administration of the Group. Without this knowledge my job would have been almost impossible.

All the Leaders and the members of the Executive Committee give generously of their time, skills and talents for the benefit of your children and on your behalf, I thank them for their efforts.

And, on behalf of the Leaders and the Executive, I plead with YOU to come and help.

Paul Plane

Chairman 18th Epping Forest South Scout Group

18[th] Epping Forest South Scout Group GROUP SCOUT LEADER’S REPORT 2020/2021

Sadly, the most significant event of the year for us in the 18[th] EFS was Brian’s passing in April. The whole group has benefitted immensely from his services to Scouting over the past 45 years. He was an inspirational leader both at Group and District level. We are pleased to be able to acknowledge this by renaming the Scout Hall as “The Brian Gillman Endeavour Hut”. The District held a flag parade at his Memorial Service in July. I was honoured to be able to give the Tribute on behalf of Scouts. In the words of the Tribute “He was loved and feared by Scouts in equal measure. I think he liked it that way”. Brian was a legend and he will be greatly missed.

All sections achieved a successful return to face-to-face meetings both in the autumn of 2020 and in April 2021 after the ending of the Second Lockdown. This required considerable preparation by the Leaders and Group Executive in terms of Risk Assessments, cleaning of equipment and the Scout Hall and in redesigning games and activities. We are pleased that parents and guardians were willing to support us and encourage their Scouts, Cubs & Beavers to return. The Risk Assessments worked although inevitably this did lead to the occasional requirement to isolate. We will continue to operate to appropriate guidelines although we expect these to relax gradually as we emerge from Covid.

This was made possible by the strong leadership team. As well as Ian, Rob, Gary & Bevan the team has expanded with the addition of Andy Maguire as Assistant Beaver Leader. We have also gained three Young Leaders, all former Scouts, who are doing great work at Beavers and Cubs. This leaves Scouts as the one section that is short of an Assistant Leader. Although there are a number of parents who help out when required, we do need an Assistant Leader for Bevan to be able to plan more adventurous activities such as camps and activity weekends.

Participation stayed strong during Lockdown thanks to the excellent program run by the Leaders on line over zoom. For the annual census in January 2021, the Group total of 72 was only just down on previous years. Scouts and Cubs had grown in numbers however this was offset by Beavers, where we had deliberately restricted numbers so that face-to-face meetings could resume indoors within permitted limits. Since Easter numbers have increased to 87, with increases across all sections. All sections are operating at maximum capacity and have waiting lists.

In conclusion, I am pleased to report that the Group is in a strong position both in terms of the numbers of young people and leaders, and in the range of activities that we are able to offer. This is supported by a solid financial base. We have been able to build on the foundations laid by Brian and hopefully will be able to continue to grow in a way that would make him proud.

David Matson Group Scout Leader Davidmmatson@aol.com 07951 458946

18[th] Epping Forest South Scout Group TREASURER’S REPORT 2020/2021

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Notes to the Accounts

These accounts are prepared in accordance with the applicable accounting standards and the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP).

Financially the group continues to be strong and as a result the Executive have again agreed that no increase in Subscription rates is required.

Overall income again exceeded expense for the eighth year running. Additional income was received from the Solar Panels (£2009) but no income was received from other traditional sources such as Minibus Hire and NCT use of the Hall due to Covid-19.

This year the interest from the Bond was again kept in the Bond rather than taking it into the working funds. This is something we review each year.

Income - significant points

Income from Membership subscriptions was well down on the previous year as we felt full fees could not be justified whilst indoor meetings were not allowed and instead all scouting was carried out via Zoom. Regardless of this a significant number of parents continued to donate the full amounts for which we are very grateful. We also believe it reflects the recognition of the additional effort put in by the Section Leaders in attempting to maintain such a full programme of activities under such trying circumstances. Government Covid-19 grants were received via Redbridge to help support businesses during the various lockdowns and restrictions. For ourselves the total grants received came to £20,098 which was well in excess of the income we normally receive via subscriptions and NCT hire.

We still had to pay Capitation charges to the Scout Association and these were higher than the previous year. The Gift Aid rebate in the accounts relates to the £1,624 received from the Government for Gift Aid payments on subscriptions collected during 2019_20. This will be somewhat lower in the current financial year because of the reduction in subscriptions collected but again I would like to thank you all for agreeing to Gift Aid as it is still a significant amount. The number of you who pay by Bank Transfer also continues to increase which is a great help to my workload. My sincere thanks once again to all of you who have signed up to Gift Aid and/or pay by Bank Transfer.

Other income and expense categories were virtually zero as all events and activities were cancelled.

Maintenance

Overall general maintenance costs were lower reflecting the fact that the Hall was shut down. However we reviewed our fire alarm system and realised that it did not meet current standards. As such we agreed to replace it for a more modern system and at the same time made some improvements to the Intruder alarm system. We also decided to use some of the excess funds on replacing the fencing at the rear of the Hall which was in a very sad state.

Bonds

We have one Bond of £102,866 in addition to our normal reserves. We will be looking to reinvest some or all of the bond this year.

Minibus Fund

The Executive meeting in February 2021 again agreed to contribute to the Minibus fund as part of the Working Reserve with a transfer of £3000 for 2020-21. This fund is important to recognise that the Minibus will need to be replaced in the future the cost for which will be very significant. Due to planned changes in Environmental controls in Greater London it was agreed that replacement of the minibus may be required in the next couple of years.

Other

The use of GoCardless via OSM, introduced in the previous year, was deemed a success although clearly very little was charged through it in the absence of any camps or events. As such it has also now been agreed to extend the system to the collection of subscriptions for the 2021-22 financial year.

Steve Ladle Group Treasurer 18th Epping Forest South Scout Group

Scouts Review 2020/2021

Well, we all know that the last year was like no other, what with lockdowns (2 of them in 2020/2021), social distancing, self-isolations and just trying to adapt to the prevailing conditions. And Scouts was no exception

We started the year in September with face-to-face meetings back on the agenda, but wholly outside. The programme was heavily skewed towards hikes, wide games and other outdoor activities such as street orienteering, but it was good just to get back to meeting scouts in real life. The lockdown in November saw us back on zoom and then a brief respite back to the outdoors.

With the national lockdown in the first 3 months of 2021, we were back to a zoom timetable of meetings. I find these much more taxing to organize, and to create an engaging programme for the scouts to be delivered virtually is not straightforward, but we muddled through. We took a virtual trip around the world, learning about longitude and latitude coordinates and thanks to google earth visited the scout hut, Brownsea Island, the Pyramids of Giza, The Colosseum, Mexico, and my hometown of Wellington in NZ.

Thanks to the Dyson Foundation website we were able to complete some STEM activities, making a balloon car, a chemical powered boat (apologies for the mess created in some people’s kitchens or bathrooms) and a star projector among other things. We made bird feeders and the scouts took some photos of their efforts, but due to the time of the year we saw very few birds, but lots of squirrels. Finally, the scouts did presentations on a sport of their choosing, which were very impressive. In fact, throughout all the zoom meetings we were impressed with the work the Scouts put into them. Zoom meetings are of course not for everyone but attendance was high over the term.

Thankfully we got back to real life meetings for the summer term, and with the good weather we were able to deliver an outdoors orientated programme, with hikes, tent pitching, bivouac construction, rope and lashing work, firelighting and wide games. Two highlights were fishing at Redbridge Lakes (we are now members and have use of the lakes for the next year, which the beavers have taken advantage of) and BMX riding at the velopark in Stratford. Thankfully there weren’t any serious injuries!

Here I must thank all the parents who attended events during the summer term to help out. At one point at the fishing, we had at least 8 dads (and they were all dads!) channeling their inner Bear Grylls.

We were awarded four Jack Petchey awards over the year, which we used to pay for the BMX and fishing sessions. Thanks must go to our departed scouts Adam, Josh and our current scout Willow for winning them.

Our numbers held steady and then increased over the year as we gained several new scouts from outside of the group, and it is pleasing to see so many of our former scouts carry on in the movement with Explorers. The troop currently has 27 scouts in it, which is almost at the top of the limit we can take, and most weeks we probably get 24 or 25 attending depending on other commitments. This year hopefully we can get back to doing some camps and other outdoor activities!

Finally, I wish to thank Dave the GSL, Ian and Rob from Cubs and Gary from Beavers for stepping up and helping me out during the year. Without them we could not have delivered the activities we did to the scouts. However, it is very clear that this is not sustainable. A troop of this size needs two full time trained and uniformed leaders. This is not just a volunteer, but also a safeguarding issue.

I have been very grateful for parental help last year, especially with outdoor activities, but we need someone more permanent, otherwise we will have to seriously give thought to whether we can continue, which is a shame as we are a well funded, well supported group. If you have been thinking about joining the movement then I urge you to come forward, or if you know of anyone who may be interested then please let me know.

Bevan Blair Scout Leader 07870 684138 bevan71@yahoo.com

CUBS REPORT 2020/2021

Membership

Leaders

Ian (Baloo) and Rob (Shere Khan) continue as leaders this year, with much help from Gary (Bagheera). We now have two young leaders: Joseph (Kaa), and Linh, who has recently joined and has just been given the Jungle Book name of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.

Cubs

We currently have 31 Cubs, which is nearly at our maximum capacity of 32. However, we have plenty of Beavers waiting to come up, and a number of young people on the waiting list. We have had lots of membership enquiries and also picked up a few Cubs from other groups in the district that have not yet restarted.

Zoom Meetings & Restarting Face-to-Face Meetings

We continued to use Zoom to run online meetings for the Autumn 2020 and Spring 2021 terms. However, we were able to return to face-to-face meetings for the Summer 2021 term.

Badges

Over the last year we have worked on the Communicator, Astronomer, Photographer, Road Safety, Home Safety, Digital Citizen, Athletics and Pioneer badges, as well as various Skills and Hobbies badges. We have also done a number of evening treks, which go towards the Hike badge.

Events

Due to Covid restrictions, we have not been able to run the larger type of events we would normally be able to, such as Sports Day, the Swimming Gala, or Weekend Camps. However, we have been able to run a few special evenings such as:

Brian

It was with great sadness that we lost Brian this year. He was the driving force behind the 18th for many years, and his influence will continue as we move forwards. The fact that we were able to weather the Covid storm so well was due, in large part, to the strong foundations that Brian laid for the group. He will be greatly missed by us all.

Ian Balboa Baloo cubs@18efsscouts.org.uk

Beaver Section Report 2020/2021

As the Covid pandemic continued over the last 12 months, preventing us from meeting face to face as a group, the Beavers continued their weekly Zoom sessions to stay together as a colony and to continue Scouting as best we could via iPads and laptops.

Zoom sessions took us on a journey through our solar system with the Space badge, and taught us how to treat many minor ailments and injuries with the Emergency Aid badge. We also had fun making armpit fudge and toasting marshmallows to make smores. And many of our Beavers took part in our Camp At Home event, with Beavers making dens or erecting tents and sleeping in them (outside in the garden as well as inside the house) overnight. Those Beavers camping on the night of the 30th April were part of a world record attempt at the largest virtual camp with some 84,000 campers involved in 67 countries.

A light at the end of the tunnel appeared in November 2020 when we were able to finally meet again in the Scout hall. We enjoyed making fire paintings (combining sparklers with a camera on a long exposure!) and a poppy wreath which was laid at the war memorial in Wanstead in time for Remembrance Day. However that reprieve was short lived and we returned to remote sessions the week after as yet another lockdown was announced.

At around Easter time we finally returned to face to face meetings. We tried to meet outside as often as possible to avoid closed spaces and enjoyed a number of hikes and wildlife treks in Highams Park and Wanstead Park, as well as a hectic sports day in the playing fields behind Onslow Gardens.

Numbers remain strong and our waiting list is as busy as ever. New Beavers continued to join throughout the Zoom months and by the time we had returned to the hall, 17 of the current 24 Beavers had never been in the hall before.

We are very happy to welcome our new leader Andy Maguire into Beavers. Andy stepped forward to become a Beaver leader back in November and has hit the ground running. We also currently have two very competent young leaders assisting the colony as part of their DofE award – Charlotte and Adam, who are both ex-Scouts in the group.

The sad news of the last year has been the tragic passing of our previous GSL Brian Gillman. Brian was always present at Beaver meetings throughout my eight or so years as a leader, and I will miss his support, guidance and friendship.

Gary Tong Beaver Section Leader Email: beavers@18efsscouts.org.uk